Page 94 of Forged By Malice (Beasts of the Briar #3)

93

Keldarion

T hat bastard has my fucking sword. The Sword of the Protector sits sheathed on the back of one of Kairyn’s Penta Conclave, the icy hilt gleaming in the sun. It’s strange to have despised a thing for so long, now to yearn for it with every fiber of my being. It had always been within arm’s reach, yet I never took it up.

No, Caspian had to hand it to me. Then he took my token, and servants of the Below stole my sword. Was it all part of his plan? I don’t know. Stars know where he is now.

“What more does this tyrant have to say?” Dayton growls, chained beside me. They shackled both our wrists and ankles with Spring steel, then forced a vile potion down our lips. With that, the last traces of my magic disappeared. I can’t even feel my bond with Rosalina.

But we will be reunited again. She’s strong. It will take more than the Nightingale to break her.

I turn my attention back to Dayton, following the Summer Prince’s gaze. Kairyn’s seen fit to lead us back out to the dais in the public courtyard, once again gathering the people of Florendel. Vases of large red flowers, not yet bloomed, decorate everything from the courtyard to the nearby houses.

Kairyn has also dragged out his father, Thalionor. This elderly prince, slumped in his chair, tended by acolytes, is nothing like my memories of the strong and powerful leader.

Two of Kairyn’s Penta Conclave flank him. One wields my Sword of the Protector, the other the Lance of Valor. Our necklaces are preventing the further decay of these knights.

A great crowd has gathered. They speak in hushed tones, murmuring about seeing two High Princes chained.

“Word will spread,” I whisper to Dayton. “Our realms and Autumn will learn of the treachery and send reinforcements. He cannot possibly think he can hold us.”

Dayton nods, still desperately scanning the audience. It’s late morning now. I can only hope Kairyn will send us to our cells before nightfall. I can’t summon my wolf willingly with this damned potion in my veins, but I’m certain the Enchantress’s curse will overpower it. Perhaps we do want him to continue his speech until dusk.

So what if the people of Spring see us change into beasts? It matters not if it gets me closer to saving Rosalina. And Ezryn…

Where is he now? Powerless, weaponless, alone. He’s looking for Rose. I know it within my heart. He’s looking for our mate.

“People of Spring!” Kairyn calls out, silencing the crowd with the boom of his voice. “We have witnessed a great tragedy today. My brother’s betrayal, the prince who swore to protect you.”

“The only betrayal was yours,” Dayton grumbles under his breath.

“But we of Spring are forged of fire and iron will!”

A cheer arises, and I see the desperation in the people’s faces. The panicked need for reassurance that everything will be okay. But some faces in the crowd are completely blank, no emotion at all.

Kairyn paces on the dais. “From this tragedy, I will craft us a stronger, better future. We will usher in a new era for Spring. A glorious beginning of goblin and fae!”

My blood runs cold. “What?”

Down the street, the massive gates of Florendel open wide, unveiling hundreds of goblin ranks, marching in well-organized formations. Spring guards on horseback accompany them on both sides.

A chant rises from the goblins, like the steely bang of a drum: “Kairyn. Kairyn. Kairyn.”

“This is fucking madness,” Dayton growls, voice nearly lost to the chant and the rising cries of the crowd.

Some citizens stand shocked, barely able to move out of the way of the approaching army. Others begin vocalizing their protest. Fae swarm toward the dais.

“You’re mad,” I snarl at the new High Prince. “Your people will never accept this.”

They may have reluctantly accepted Ezryn’s banishment, but to work with the monsters that raided their towns and villages for hundreds of years? Kairyn has truly turned against reason.

In answer, Kairyn spreads his arms to the side, palms to the sky. Magic crackles. I swing my head from side to side, watching as every red bud that decorates the rooftops, the lampposts, the awnings, bursts into bloom. Their pollen catches in the wind and swirls through the crowd.

The uproar dies. I gaze in terror as a fae, fist clenched with anger, quietly lowers their hand, eyes growing distant. They step back to make room for the approaching goblins.

“People of Spring,” Kairyn continues, “only together can we topple our true enemy. The High Princes who have hidden in the castle while the rest of us have suffered!”

“I expected you to aid us in battling the forces of the Below,” I bellow, “not to align with them!”

Dayton’s eyes widen, and he surges forward with such a force, a small crack appears in his metal shackles. “Farron!”

I look through the crowd. Sure enough, there he is. But Farron’s joined the growing chant. A chant both the goblins and the people of Spring now cry out: “Kairyn! Kairyn! Kairyn!”

“It’s the plants. Once someone gets a whiff of that pollen, they’re under Kairyn’s control,” I growl. Farron must have inhaled some when we were following Ezryn through the streets.

Dayton lets out a pained breath. Golden hair falls across his blue eyes. “Fare…”

The goblins now stand among the fae, their cheer growing loud enough to shake the dais. A swirl of pollen hovers above Dayton’s head. “Don’t breathe—” I start when I feel a peculiar sweetness on my tongue. My mind drains to that strange space between sleep and awake. And my mouth moves not of my own accord.

“Kairyn,” I chant. “Kairyn! Kairyn!”